US welcomes Egypt’s plans to advance human rights in cooperation with civil society

CAIRO – 10 November 2021: The United States welcomed Egypt’s national plans to boost human rights in cooperation with the civil society sector, a joint statement by the governments of Egypt and the US read on Tuesday following the Egypt-US strategic dialogue held in Washington, D.C.

“The two sides held a constructive dialogue on human rights and fundamental freedoms,” the joint statement read.

Egypt and the US discussed human rights issues, including freedom of expression, civil and political rights, combating racism, women’s empowerment, as well as social, economic, and cultural rights.

During the dialogue, Egypt welcomed the election of the US to the UN Human Rights Council, read the statement.

The US also welcomed the National Human Rights Strategy Egypt has launched last September and agreed with Egypt to continue dialogue on human rights.

The two countries agreed on their commitment to expand their bilateral cooperation regarding economy, commerce, climate, defense, counterterrorism, border and maritime security.

They also agreed on boosting diplomatic and consular cooperation, educational and cultural cooperation, as well as judicial and law-enforcement cooperation to combat transnational crime.

This comes through “sharing, as appropriate and consistent with international legal standards, evidence and information used to investigate and prosecute these crimes,” according to the statement.

Egypt and the US also signed an MOU to facilitate and boost cooperation under the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, which they signed and entered into force in 2001.

“The United States and Egypt reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to the national security of both countries and to the stability of the Middle East,” the statement read.

Egypt hailed the role played by the US in economic development in Egypt and its supply of defense equipment to the country, as well as the joint cooperation to reinforce Egypt’s defense capabilities.

During the dialogue, they discussed a number of issues including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the Libyan crisis, Sudan, and the humanitarian crises in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.

On GERD, “the United States reiterated President Biden’s support for Egypt’s water security,” the statement read.

“The United States and Egypt called for the resumption of negotiations over an agreement on the GERD under the auspices of the Chairperson of the African Union, in line with the Presidential Statement of the United Nations Security Council of September 15, 2021, and the 2015 Agreement on Declaration of Principles,” the statement added.

The two countries called for holding Libya’s elections, as scheduled, on December 24, and agreed on backing the action plan of the Libyan [5+5] Joint Military Commission regarding the exit of all foreign forces, fighters, and mercenaries from the Arab country.

The two sides agreed to continue high-level consultations on Middle East and African issues as they discussed efforts to resolve regional conflicts and humanitarian crises in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.

The US also hailed Egypt’s leadership’s efforts to mediate solutions to regional conflicts, especially regarding the promotion of peace and ending violence in the Gaza Strip.